Marshall,

I am a fan of the serial comma. One of my books is Writing, Reading, and Research (with the comma). It is more common in the US than the UK, although the AP Style Book advises against it. Wikipedia offers a very nice explanation of the controversy, including pros and cons.

Dick


On Fri, Sep 30, 2011 at 10:41 AM, Myers, Marshall <[log in to unmask]> wrote:

Dick,

 

I thought the omission of the comma in a series like these was a journalistic invention, a way to eliminate what could be an unnecessary comma.

 

So the Oxford comma predates the journalistic practice?

 

Marshall

 

From: Assembly for the Teaching of English Grammar [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Dick Veit
Sent: Thursday, September 29, 2011 2:36 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: the Oxford comma

 

You might enjoy this cartoon about the "Oxford comma," the controversial comma that precedes the conjunction in a series of three or more items: "eat, drink, and be merry" (as opposed to "eat, drink and be merry"). It is also called the "Harvard comma" and the "serial comma." The cartoon could provoke discussion in a college writing class--perhaps a bit racy for high school.

Similar is the famously ambiguous (and probably apocryphal) book dedication: "To my parents, Ayn Rand and God."

Dick
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